Teens who engage in regular, positive connections with both adults and peers show fewer signs of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, studies show. Spirit of Youth and Empowering Youth Voice to End Bullying, through the Alaska Teen Media Institute, recently produced PSAs for local radio stations, encouraging teens to reach out to each other on a […]
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Families, friends, and community members joined together on Saturday, May 6 in celebration of the 2023 Spirit of Youth Award winners. Produced by Alaska Teen Media Institute members and hosted by the Spirit of Youth Teen Advisory Council, the ceremony featured winners and runners up for each of the eight categories, and included descriptions of […]
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Spirit of Youth is pleased to announce recipients of the 2023 Spirit of Youth Awards, recognizing 16 teens and youth groups from communities across Alaska. Now in its 25th year, the recognition ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 6, 2023 via Zoom. The Spirit of Youth Awards highlight dedicated young people and unsung heroes […]
Read MoreEmpowering Youth Voice to End Bullying has launched a new website to address the issue in Alaska. EndBullyingAK was built through partnerships with the Alaska Department of Health, Anchorage Youth Vote, and Spirit of Youth, and seeks to empower the community to work together to build inclusive, bullying-free environments across the state. One in five Anchorage […]
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Four youth-led projects were selected as awardees of the Spirit of Youth Coalition’s anti-bullying grants.
Read MoreYouth producers from the Alaska Teen Media Institute contacted awardees to record the 2022 Spirit of Youth Awards radio stories, featuring teens from across the state being honored for the good work they are doing in their communities. The Spirit of Youth Awards highlight dedicated young people and unsung heroes from around Alaska. Now in […]
Read MoreSpirit of Youth, Anchorage Youth Vote, and other community partners are working as a coalition to build inclusive environments free from bullying. Approximately 20% of students age 12-18 have experienced bullying. The Spirit of Youth Coalition was created to decrease the risk factor of bullying and to promote protective factors among Anchorage youth. Spirit of Youth […]
Read MoreSpirit of Youth is working to improve the mental health of Anchorage-area young people through a Youth Advocacy grant.
Read MoreThe Spirit of Youth Awards highlight dedicated young people and unsung heroes from around Alaska! The awards recognize the hard work and efforts of these future leaders. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we held this year’s award ceremony on Zoom again. With award recipients from Anchorage to Cordova to Wrangell.
Read MoreCongratulations to the 2022 Spirit of Youth awardees! Hannah Yi and Sophie Mayers of Anchorage won the Lifesaver Award. They were instrumental at West High School in reviving the YANA club (You are Not Alone) after the pandemic and students returned to in-person learning. Once clubs restarted in the fall of 2021, Sophia and Hannah […]
Read MoreSpirit of Youth’s Coalition is running youth developed public service announcements (PSAs), promoting use of the Careline, on popular format radio in Anchorage. These messages were crafted by local youth to share the significant protective role that supportive adults and community engagement play in youth mental health and the powerful negative impact bullying has on […]
Read MoreSpirit of Youth is offering one grant, of up to $17,000, for youth advocacy in Anchorage. The Youth Advocacy Grant is specifically intended to support youth-led projects that meet the following goals: Increase advocacy skills among Anchorage youth. Provide forums to discuss issues impacting the context / environment for youth in Anchorage. Explore factors that […]
Read MoreYouth producers from the Alaska Teen Media Institute contacted awardees for the annual Spirit of Youth awards radio stories, featuring teens from across the state being honored for the good work they are doing in their communities. The Spirit of Youth Awards highlight dedicated young people and unsung heroes from around Alaska. Now in its […]
Read MoreIn case you missed it, here is Spirit of Youth’s summer newsletter! You can always sign up to be added to our mailing list if you want to hear more good news about Alaska’s teens.
Read MoreThe Spirit of Youth Awards highlight dedicated young people and unsung heroes from around Alaska! The awards recognize the hard work and efforts of these future leaders. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this year’s award ceremony was held virtually. With award recipients from Anchorage, Eagle River, Fairbanks, Homer, Ketchikan and Port Graham!
Read MoreSpirit of Youth is excited to announce the 2021 Spirit of Youth Award Recipients! We thank you for your support of Spirit of Youth, and the work the organization does to celebrate young Alaskans. You can read more about this year’s recipients, who were selected by our Teen Advisory Council, at www.spiritofyouth.org. We hope that you can join the virtual award […]
Read MoreSpirit of Youth’s Anchorage Coalition is funded by a Division of Behavioral Comprehensive Behavioral Health Prevention and Early Intervention grant. The Coalition recently updated their strategic plan to reflect the needs reflected in the results of the Youth Needs, Your Voice survey conducted during the Covid-19 Pandemic. You can view the new plan here.
Read MoreThis report presents an analysis of the Youth Needs, Your Voice Survey data. The Youth Needs, Your Voice Survey was developed for the purpose of better understanding the mental health needs and resources available to youth and young adults in the Anchorage Municipality, especially in the face of concurrent social issues in 2020, such as the Covid-19 […]
Read MoreSpirit of Youth provided several mini grants to a number of organizations. These grants were specifically intended to support youth and young adult-led projects in Anchorage. These efforts promote youth connectedness and engagement. Learn more about some of the youth messaging projects below. Girl Scouts of Alaska – Independent Virtual Girl Scout Group The Girl […]
Read MoreYouth producers from the Alaska Teen Media Institute contacted awardees for the annual Spirit of Youth awards radio stories, featuring teens from across the state being honored for the good work they are doing in their communities. The Spirit of Youth Awards highlight dedicated young people and unsung heroes from around Alaska. Now in its […]
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